Case



Aug' 22, 1961 R. P. HooKER 2,997,198

CASE

Filed April 25, 1958 52 12 Arrra/e/Yfrs.

nite States Filed Apr. 25, 1958, Ser. No. 730,835 2 IClaims. (Cl. 2'20-4) This invention relates to a case, and more particularly to a carrying case.

It is an object of my invention to provide a carrying case of attractive appearance which can be easily and inexpensively manufactured largely from economical Sheet-metal and metal-extrusions, and which will prove sturdy and durable in use. It is another object of my invention to provide a carrying case which can be easily opened for ready access to the contents held therein, and which can be releasably locked in a closed position.

In carrying out my invention in the preferred form, there is provided a pair of separable upper and lower shells adapted to be releasably 'locked in a closed position. Each of said shells comprises a U-shaped web forming a pair of side wall members interconnected by a third wall member. The ends of the web are closed by a pair of end panels whose margins are rigidly connected to the margins of the web by means of molding strips, conveniently in the form of metal-extrusions.

Each of the molding strips comprises a pair of channels adapted to receive the margins of the web and one of the end panels. Desirably, the margins of the webs and end panels are provided with spaced openings into which portions of the legs of the molding channels may be indented for locking the molding strips thereon and thereby interconnecting the panels and the webs.

Conveniently, the two shells are releasably locked together by means of a plurality of locks having their links pivotally mounted on base members secured to one of said shells. A camming latch is pivotally mounted on each of said links and is engageable with a keeper mounted on the other of said shells to releasably lock the case in a closed position.

The accompanying drawing illustrates my invention. In such drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a case embodying my invention;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation of the case shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a lock for releasably looking the case in closed position;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of one of the molding strips and showing the method of securing said strips on the case; and

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the lower shell.

As illustrated in the drawing, my carrying case comprises an upper shell releasably locked on a lower shell 12 by a plurality of locks 14, the upper shell being provided with a suitable carrying handle or grip 16 mounted thereon as by brackets 13 riveted to the upper face of said upper shell. Preferably for economy of manufacture, the shells 10 and 12 are substantially identcal in their construction.

conveniently, each of the shells is formed from a Sheet-metal web 18 bent into a generally U-shape to form a pair of side walls interconnected by a third wall member, said third wall member constituting the roof of the shell 10 or the fioor of the shell 12. As shown in FIG. 5, the lower shell 12 may be provided With any desred openings, such as vent openings 15, openings 17 for projector tilting legs, etc. conveniently, the ends of the web 18 are bent back over themselves, as at 19, to form longitudinally extending beads stiffening and strengthening said web. Each of the lateral ends of each web 18v is closed by an end panel 20 also conveniently formed of Sheet-metal. Desirably, the side walls formed by the web Patente Aug. 22, 1961 18 and the end panels diverge at slight angles from the edges of the upper wall of the upper shell 10 and from the lower wall of the lower shell so that the two shells 10 and 12 have a relatively large lateral extent at the plane of their interconnection, thereby providing a larger area for supporting or holding an object, such as a slide projector therein.

My case may be employed for housing a slide projector which can be mounted on the lower shell 12 in any convenient manner. One method of mounting such a projector in the lower shell is shown in FIG. 3, where a projector-supporting platform 21 is provided with a peripherally extending slot 22 formed in itsl lower face. The platform 21 is placed over the lower shell 12 with its slot 22 press-fit over the upper ends of the side walls and end panels of the lower shell for bindingly retaining said platform thereon.

Each of the webs 18 are interconnected to their end panels 20 by molding strips 23 conveniently formed as aluminum extrusions. As shown in FIG. 4, eac-h of said molding strips is bent into the generally U-shaped contour of the web 18 and comprises a pair of channels 24 formed from pairs of spaced leg members 26 between which the margins of the Web 18` and panels 20 may be inserted. A plurality of spaced openings 28 are provided in the margins of the webs and panels adjacent the edges thereof so that when said margins are inserted in the channels 24 the openings 28 will be disposed within the extent of the channel legs 26. The legs 26 are indented from their dotted line position shown in FIG. 4 into the margina'l openings 28 thereby locking the molding on the webs and end panels and interconnecting said webs and end panels. By indenting only the molding legs disposed along the inner faces of the webs and end panels, rigid connections between the webs and end panels are produced without detracting from the attractive external appearance of the case.

As shown in FIG. 3, the shells 10 and 12 are releasably locked together by a plurality of locks 14. The locks 14 are mounted on the sheet 18 of the shell 10 by bases 40 having outwardly projecting bosses 44 and pairs of legs 42 extending into said shell through openings cut in the webs. Pivotally mounted on each of the bosses, as by a pin 43, is a link having an outer plate 46 interconnecting a pair of parallel side plates 47. The inner faces of a pair of side plates 47 engage the side faces of a boss 44 for guiding the pivotal movement of the link and preventing any lateral wobble thereof. The opposite end of each of the links is pivotally connected, as by a pin 48 extending between the plates 47, to a camming latch disposed between the plates 47 and provided with a handle 52 and a locking finger 54. The finger 54 is engageable With a keeper 56 having legs 58 receivable in openings cut in the web 18` of the lower shell 12. Desirably, the base 40 and keeper 56 are formed from aluminum or any other relatively soft metal so that their legs 42 and 58 can be inserted in the openings in the webs 18 as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 3 and then bent over the inner faces of said webs to the full line position of FIG. 3 for rigidly securing the base and keeper thereon.

I clairn as my invention:

1. A case, comprising a pair of mating shells releasably locked together, each of said shells 'comprising an elongated, U-shaped, Sheet-metal web forming a pair of side wall members integrally connected to a third wall member, a Sheet-metal end panel at each end of said web, a rigid generally U-shaped molding strip at each end of said web having a pair of channels generally normal to each other and formed by pairs of generally parallel legs extending inwardly over the ends of said web and end panels, each of said molding strips being formed from a material at least as soft as the material forming the web and end panels with the inner legs of said pairs of generally parallel legs having identations deformed therein and received in spaced openings formed in the margins of said Web and one of said end panels for rigidly securing said Web and end panels together, shonldered means received over the edges of one of said shells and abutting a pair of faces along the edges of the other of said shells for holding the shells in alignment, and a plurality of locks on one of said shells engageable with keepers on the other shell for releasably locking the shells together.

2. A case, comprising a pair of mating Sheet-metal shells releasably locked together, each of said shells comprising an elongated U-shaped web forming a pair of side wall members integrally connected to a third wall member, an end panel at each end of said Web, a rigid generally U-shaped molding strip at each end of said Web having a pair of Channels generally normal to each other and formed by pairs of generally parallel legs extending inwardly over the ends of said web and end panels, each of said molding strips being formed from a material at least as soft as the material forming the Web and end panels with at least one of the legs in each of said pairs of generally parallel legs having indentations deformed therein and received in spaced openings formed in the margins of said web and one of said end panels for rigidly securing said web and end panels together, shouldered means received over theedges of one of said shells and abutting the mating edges of the other of said shells for holding the shells in alignment, -and a plurality of locks on one of said shells engageable with keepers on the other shell for releasably locking the shells together.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

